"YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN"

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IN HONOR OF ALL THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS KNOWINGLY ABANDONED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT TO A LIFETIME OF CAPTIVITY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

The refugee explained that except for times when he or the American was sick, they saw each other twice a day for almost ten years. He said he and the American did not speak at first, but some time later they began talking in hurried whispers when the guards were not too close. The refugee explained that their first conversations were simple greetings, but later the American, speaking in Vietnamese he said he had learned in prison, began asking about things "on the outside. Like the Chinese invasion." The refugee recalled that he had asked the American in 1980 how long he had been a prisoner, and that he had replied "over 10 years." The American later said his name was "UY-STON" [83] and that his arm and leg had been injured when he had parachuted out of his plane and landed in trees and then struck the ground. According to the refugee, "UY-STON" further said that because of his injuries he did not work with the other American prisoners held at the K-3 prison but instead was a cook.

. . . The refugee said that by 1984, he and "UY-STON," whom he described as intelligent and having a gentle, soft-spoken demeanor, began to speak more often. He said it was then that "UY-STON" told him, "If you should ever be released, tell the USG there are 123 of us still here." The refugee said that from that day forward, each time they met, "UY-STON" would remind him of this by saying, "Remember, won't you?" and he would always reply, "I won't forget."

[83.] -- The source's exact pronunciation was "EWE-ston," somewhat like the city Houston. DOD records show that one American serviceman with a similar-sounding name, Army Green Beret Sgt. Charles G. Huston, went missing in Laos on March 28, 1968.

~ from 'AN ENORMOUS CRIME: The Definitive Account Of American POWs Abandoned In Southeast Asia' by Bill Hendon and Elizabeth Stewart; copyright 2007;
Pages 319 & 539/540

Sergeant Huston and all the rest . . .
you are not forgotten.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
"As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."
~ Proverbs 26:11
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